TLCQ 2018: Adam Milasincic

In the Fifth installment of the 2018 Texas Leftist Candidate Questionnaire, we hear from Adam Milasincic, candidate for the Texas State House, District 138

Please note: Responses have been received directly from the candidate, and have been posted ver batim from the email received. This is done out of fairness to all candidates. Publishing these responses does not constitute an endorsement, but will be considered during the endorsement process.

TL: What is your name, as it will appear on the ballot?

AM: Adam Milasincic

TL: Are you a current or former elected official? If so what office(s)?

AM: I am an attorney and first-time candidate.

TL: As a political candidate, you clearly care about what happens in certain levels of government. In your own words, why is government important?

AM: When run properly, state government ensures an equal playing field and high quality of life for all residents. From our public schools to our flood-control infrastructure to the highways we drive on, decisions made in the state Capitol affect the everyday life of everyone who lives or even travels through our state. Unfortunately, government can be (and currently is being) used for the evil purpose of stigmatizing and bullying people—something that I am fighting to end.

TL: If elected, name your top 3 priorities you hope to accomplish for the upcoming legislative session. Describe how you plan to accomplish them.

AM:

Invest in public schools as our #1 budget priority: Restore the state’s share of public school funding to at least 50 percent and use Rainy Day funds to repair the still-devastating consequences of the funding “gap” created by the $4 billion school funding cut in 2011. Improve pay and benefits for public school teachers.

Enact flood control solutions: Control carbon emissions to reduce Texas’ contributions to climate change. Toughen rules for new construction to protect existing homes. Create and properly fund a 13-county regional Flood Control District to accept responsibility for all storm water issues.

Stop all the hate: Racism and discrimination have never gone away, but these evils are becoming even worse today under Trump and Greg Abbott. We must resist and repeal discriminatory laws such as the “Show Me Your Papers” Senate Bill 4, and the never-ending flood of anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ bills filed every session. Stopping the hate also encompasses an end to all racial profiling, pretextual traffic stops, and other abuses in the criminal justice system that predominately harm African American and Hispanic people.

TL: In the coming years, the state of Texas is on course to have an unprecedented boom in the state’s population. But with more people and more opportunities comes an ever-increasing strain on Texas roads and infrastructure. Describe your thoughts on what needs to be done to improve Texas infrastructure now so we can plan for a bright future for the state.

AM: The state is already investing large sums in highway construction, but our flood-control infrastructure is vastly underfunded and overlooked. Through construction impact fees and other revenue sources, we must invest the money now to assure that when the next super storm hits, our families and homes will be better protected.

TL: Even as impressive growth continues in around the state’s urban centers, rural Texans are faced with a healthcare crisis. According to Laura Garcia of the Victoria Advocate, rural communities across the state have lost 18 hospitals in less than five years, and this was before any additional challenges worsened by natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey. Without hospital services in or near their local communities, the medical and emergency care is at an increasing risk our citizens. As a legislator, how would you plan to address this issue and help Texas’ vital rural healthcare facilities stay open?

AM: At the federal level, Congress needs to act by restoring adequate Medicare and Medicaid payments for these rural hospitals; underfunding at the federal level is a primary mover behind this crisis. As a state legislator, I will fight for expanding Affordable Care Act coverage within Texas so that quality healthcare is more accessible to low-income individuals in all communities. Additionally, we must expand loan-forgiveness and other incentives for medical students attending our state universities who commit to establishing practices in rural and other underserved communities.

TL: In 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to overturn an Obama-era rule which classifies internet service providers as public utilities, and thereby governed under the 1934 Communications Act. This decision essentially erases the principle that Internet Service Providers should treat all online content equally without giving preference to particular sources, otherwise known as Net Neutrality. Please describe your views on this decision, and whether or not you would support legislation at the State or Federal level to uphold the principle of Net Neutrality.

AM: I oppose the FCC’s decision and support Net Neutrality. A free, open internet is vital to our modern economy, and the FCC’s approach is yet another example of favoritism toward mega-corporations. Although state-level laws that directly attempt to contradict the FCC’s ruling would arguably be preempted by federal law if challenged in court, states can and should take creative steps to at least partially address the issue until we have a Congress and president willing to act. For example, some states are requiring internet service providers with state contracts to follow the Net Neutrality approach if they want to keep their state contracts.

TL: What makes you the best candidate for this office?

AM: Winning experience and progressive values. I have a winning record of fighting and beating many of the richest and most powerful corporations in the state. Having litigated all the way through appeals courts on legal interpretation issues as in-the-weeds as how the placement of a comma affects a law’s meaning, I am ready to contribute on day one with substantive legislation and amendments. I am not intimidated by special interests and have the record to back it up. In today’s climate especially, we need our Democratic legislators to be tough, proven fighters and strategic planners if we are to successfully block the reactionary agenda that is ruining the lives of too many people in our state.

TL: When not on the campaign trail, how do you like to spend your free time?